Through a glass darkly

Rochester, MN circa 2018/2023/2028/2033/2038/2043

 

This "Infrastructure Master Plan" was "revised April 10 2013". One assumes earlier versions have existed for some months (years?). Yet, in all the forums where questions were raised the answers to which are in this plan, it was neither referenced as even existing, much less produced. OK, so Mayo Clinic's affairs are those of a private, nonprofit corporation, and so, private. But, one reads in the introduction to this plan that:

"Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. worked with Mayo Clinic and the City of Rochester to develop this Infrastructure Master Plan to forecast an order of magnitude estimate of the infrastructure improvements that will be required during the next 20 years to support the anticipated growth of Mayo Clinic and downtown Rochester as a global destination medical center (DMC)."

Note: "...and the City of Rochester." The affairs of the City of Rochester are, or should be, public. So, when representatives of the City of Rochester sat before various audiences hearing the questions the answers to which are in this document, why did they neither reference or produce it? When such questions appeared in the press, where was this document being kept?

Did members of our legislative delegation know of this document? Did the House and Senate chief authors know of this document? Why didn't they reference or produce it?

How, then, is it finally produced? On the website of an out of town newspaper.

 

It mostly makes me sad that we have been held in such low regard by these public officials. Especially since we have been reassured in all these forums that we should not be concerned nor worry because nothing will or can be done without the oversight and approval of our public officials. With them, we are instructed (sometimes scolded) rests the accountability and transparency we fret about needlessly. Well, tell me again how this works, because so far I'm just not seeing it in quite the same light. Not even close.